Concord, Massachusetts
Two weeks of talks, readings, and discussions celebrating the written and the spoken word.
Nathaniel Philbrick
Gish Jen
Andrew Bacevich
Pauline Maier
How You Can Participate
- Attend: Most events are free. All events are open to the public. Events that require a ticket are so indicated and include information about how and where to obtain tickets.
- Donate: The festival is produced by a non-profit foundation and depends greatly on individual support. Tax deductible donations in any amount are encouraged and can be made online.
- Sponsor: Corporate sponsorship is welcomed and is available. For information please .
Harriet Reisen
Events: The Woman Behind Little Women
Book: Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women
A former fellow in screenwriting at the American Film Institute, Harriet Reisen has written dramatic and historical documentary scripts for PBS and HBO, and radio commentary for Morning Edition and Marketplace. Her interest in Louisa May Alcott dates to her marathon reading of Alcott’s eight children’s novels during a rainy spell one childhood summer. Over the past twenty years, what began as an idea for a film biography of Alcott, developed into a passion for the subject herself.
Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women addresses all aspects of Alcott’s life: the effect of her father’s self-indulgent utopian schemes; her family’s chronic economic difficulties and frequent uprootings; her experience as a nurse in the civil War; as well as the loss of her health and frequent recourse to opiates. It explores Alcott’s life in the context of her works, all of which are to some extent autobiographical, and is a fresh, modern take on the prolific writer whose work has delighted millions of readers.